—The following person is appointed as the 20th Seat of the Fourth Division.
—Airi Yukawa
...Eh?
Seeing the characters written on the document, I was momentarily speechless.
I rub my eyes vigorously and pinch my own cheek.
"...Ouch."
It seems it's not a dream.
"Seated officer... promotion...? Really!?"
"Senpai, congratulations!"
When I came to the Fourth Division thinking "I'll do my best at work today too!", my superior handed me a document.
Wondering what it was, I saw that it was, as mentioned above, a document stating my promotion to seated officer.
About a hundred years and a little more since graduating from the Spiritual Arts Academy and being assigned to the Fourth Division.
Finally, I'm graduating from being a regular soldier.
A colleague who was nearby—same rank but much older than me—saw the document in my hand and congratulated me.
"Eh!? Really!?"
"Yukawa-senpai is a seated officer!! Congratulations!!"
There were other colleagues around too, and they must have heard the talk about the promotion. Everyone throws congratulatory words at me noisily.
Well, I think everyone is relieved too.
After all, I was a regular soldier for a whole hundred years. Younger bosses kept appearing one after another, you know?
I think giving orders to an older subordinate was unexpectedly difficult to do.
"Everyone, thank you very much. I will be treated as a full-fledged seated officer starting one month from now when the official appointment is issued, but I look forward to working with you."
After saying words that sounded like a policy speech or something and bowing deeply, the surrounding soldiers erupted in cheers.
...But, is it okay for me to become a seated officer when I can't even perform Shikai yet...?
Well, I finally became able to talk to my Zanpakuto the other day, and my spiritual power has grown.
Or rather, taking over a hundred years to finally reach the 20th Seat is quite slow for a promotion, isn't it...? Fast people do it in about twenty years. It seems fifty years is the average at the latest.
In my case, even after spending over a hundred years, I'm the 20th Seat—the lowest of the low among seated officers.
As I thought, I have no talent... In manga terms, I probably still only have the ability of a mob character who gets blown away along with the riffraff by the enemy's big move without even being named...
...Well, it's no use regretting it! Aim for the next step: a named mob!!
For that, I have to do what needs to be done! The first thing I should do now is...
"Excuse me, I'd like to take a half-day off tomorrow or the day after!"
Seeing that the surrounding noise had subsided, I told my superior.
—District 7, Resident Registry Administration Bureau
"Person waiting with number ticket 75!! Please come to counter number 3!!"
"This document has deficiencies, so please submit it again."
"...Ah, for that matter, it's not here but the counter on the second floor."
It is wrapped in tremendous noise and heat.
A large number of people are lined up, some waiting for their turn any moment now, while others are correcting documents at a nearby table.
After all, this is the place for managing information on people living within the Seireitei. It's like a city hall or ward office.
An administration bureau for information covering everyone living in the Seireitei.
Naturally, it's crowded like this.
Nobles, Soul Reapers, merchants, artisans—there is no difference in this place. Everyone waits for their turn and submits documents.
I was taken care of here when I became a student at the Academy and when I became a Soul Reaper.
...However, this is the third time. And every time I come early in the morning, why is it so crowded?
Do I have to come before the sun rises? Is this congestion unavoidable??
"Excuse me, I want to submit a notification for a change in position for a Gotei 13 soldier; where should I line up?"
"Yes, for that—..."
Giving up early on avoiding the congestion, I ask a nearby guide about my purpose and the location of the counter, take a number ticket, and line up there.
...Hmm... there are a lot of people lined up...
Everyone here is waiting for some kind of notification.
For example, marriage, divorce, adoption, moving... and so on. As I said earlier, if any registration information changes, you must come here and go through the procedures.
That's why the waiting time is extraordinarily long...
Because he knew it would be like this, my superior immediately granted permission for a half-day off.
It's not something where I can just drop by during lunch break or after work, submit documents, and be done.
I know, but let me say it.
I hate bureaucratic work!!
—District 4, Gotei Soldier Registry Administration Bureau
"This place is really empty, isn't it..."
After finishing my business at the Resident Registry Administration Bureau where I lined up first thing in the morning—actually, maybe it was second thing—I came straight to the next document submission location.
The structure is similar to the previous place, and the work itself is similar, but there are significantly fewer people.
It can't be helped.
That one targets "everyone living in the Seireitei," while this one targets "only all Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13."
The number of people covered is too different.
In addition, most of those who come here are Soul Reapers who are off-duty or taking a leave.
So it's relatively empty whenever you go. Even if you wait, it's about two or three people.
The last time I came here was when I submitted documents upon assignment to the Fourth Division.
"Excuse me, for a change of position—..."
Ah, it's wonderful to complete procedures easily.
—District 6, High-Ranking Spiritual Position Administration Bureau
This one is even emptier.
While the previous place targeted "all Soul Reapers," this one targets "seated officer Soul Reapers," so the applicable number decreases drastically.
So few people visit that the waiting time is virtually non-existent.
The work handled is almost the same as the previous two, so why is there such a difference?
The person in charge looked bored too.
Despite that, the building is much cleaner than the Resident Registry Administration Bureau.
......
...
...
Eh? What about the documents? They've already been accepted.
Didn't I tell you? It's empty and waiting time is virtually non-existent.
It's my first time coming to a place like this.
Now then, looking up at the sky, considering the position of the sun... I wonder if lunch is about over?
Let's go to the Fourth Division and work.
"Affected area... here, I'm suturing. Do we have enough medicine!? Ah, treatment is finished over there! Please start spiritual pressure healing!"
"Yes!"
"Finished wrapping bandages!"
"Let's see... seems no problem. Procedure complete for this person! I'm counting on you for the remaining treatment!"
"Understood!"
Becoming a seated officer meant that things to do, authority, and work increased all at once.
Commanding and instructing regular soldiers is also part of the job.
Responsibility increased by that much.
Speaking of increased responsibility, I am currently in the middle of a surgery.
Speaking of treatment in the Fourth Division, it basically refers to treatment using Kaido—spiritual pressure healing.
As a major premise, to put it roughly, Soul Reapers are lumps of spiritual power, so if you pour spiritual pressure in from the outside, they recover on their own.
Even humans recover on their own eventually if they get injured, right? But that's impossible with major injuries. You'd bleed to death before healing naturally.
Soul Reapers are the same.
When injured, spiritual power decreases from that part, so we use Kaido to pour spiritual power in.
If spiritual power recovers, the body tries to heal the injury with internal spiritual pressure on its own, so we further restore the body with external spiritual pressure using Kaido.
However, there are cases of major injuries where this spiritual pressure healing isn't enough in time.
In that case, a technique called Spirit Particle Suture—sewing the injury together—is necessary. Sew it up and prevent spiritual power from leaking.
For a bucket with a hole, block the hole before pouring water—a natural logic.
So it doesn't work like "even if injured, one recovery spell heals it instantly."
If we do surgery, we use anesthesia, and use strong medicine for stimulants. Medical science is developed. We are made to be able to do general surgery and internal medicine generally.
Since the Academy days, I frequently saw blood and internal organs.
After joining the Fourth Division, I started performing these practical procedures as well.
When I was a rookie, I helped my seniors like a nurse, and after growing to a certain extent, I started being in charge of operations...
I feel nostalgic for the days when seeing blood and internal organs made me anemic... that's a story from long ago...
"...Alright, procedure complete for everyone! Good work!"
"""Good work!"""
All procedures, just like a field hospital, have finished.
Being in charge of operations while taking command of everyone was really tough.
No, that's slightly misleading. It was a field hospital.
"It's finished. Post-operative observation is still necessary, but everyone's life has been saved."
"Sorry, thank you."
This is a seated officer from the Tenth Division.
Because a large number of Hollows appeared in a certain place in the Rukongai, the Tenth Division went to suppress them. We, the Fourth Division, also participated as support.
Naturally, for the treatment of the injured.
Because the injured are on the battlefield. Besides treating patients coming to the hospital, we also go directly to help. Above all, saying "You were injured on a mission, so please come to the Fourth Division barracks" won't heal wounds that could have been healed.
At the site, there were several soldiers who were severely injured by Hollows, and we performed major surgeries including Spirit Particle Suture on the spot.
Surgeries outside are scary because of germs, but well, without it, they wouldn't have survived.
That's why it's a field hospital.
The seated officer thanked me for my report.
He himself had multiple wounds and needed treatment, but he insisted on "My subordinates first," a person who was a model of a superior prioritizing his subordinates' lives over his own.
...I don't know his name, though.
"Hey! You can't move yet!!"
"Shut up! An injury of this level is nothing!!"
Just as I was thinking that, a shouting voice came from over there.
"...May I go?"
"I apologize. Normally this would be my role..."
"Don't worry about it. I'll go give him a talking to."
Saying that to the seated officer who looked awkward, I headed to the scene.
There are often guys like this.
Saying "I'm fine so I don't need hospitalization," or "An injury of this level is nothing."
Not listening to what we say, taking their own injuries lightly, and looking down on us just because we're the Fourth Division.
Admonishing this kind is also a superior's job.
Ideally, it would be that seated officer's job, but he is injured too.
Above all, I got his approval.
"Excuse me."
"Aah, who the hell are you...!? !?"
"Injured people, please stay quiet."
With aaalllllll my heart, I ask.
Yes, powerfully enough that the word "heart" would have the furigana "killing intent" and "spiritual pressure."
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes!! I'm sorry!!"
It seems my feelings got through; he became obedient in an instant.
This is an imitation of what Captain Unohana did. Since the Captain did it, it must be correct. It's scary to make an enemy of medical personnel, you know?
"That helped, Senpai."
"This kind of thing is also part of the job. Don't worry about it."
As I thought, being a seated officer is tough. Am I managing to act somewhat like a superior?
Ah, my salary increased too.
Just a little bit.
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